A Light in Us All
by hydrogenstarfuel
Summary: Gaster has been ripped from the void after Alphys tries to bring him back, but he ended up in the overworld. He was confused and alone in this strange human world, until he meets an abused, agender teenager named Frisk. Together, they might be able to put an end to both of their problems and perhaps, even find a friend in each other. Cover image drawn by LuminousMoonRay!
1. Chapter 1

**PLOT: Gaster has been ripped from the void after Alphys tries to bring him back, but he ended up in the overworld. He was confused and alone in this strange human world, until he meets an abused, agender teenager named Frisk. Together, they might be able to put an end to both of their problems and perhaps, even find a friend in each other.**

 **This isn't a pairing story, it's more like a father-child kind of thing.**

 **As you can see, I'm taking a break from most of my other stories for a while.**

 **Warnings for abuse, violence, swearing, and mentions of suicide and depression in later chapters. Agender Frisk.**

 **Sorry, but I can't type in Wingdings so I just put whatever Gaster was saying in lEtTeRs LiKe ThIs if Frisk can't understand him. Later on, when they begin to understand him, It will change into normal text.**

Frisk rubbed their hands together nervously, their gaze rapidly shifting from corner to corner of the darkened streets as they picked up their walking pace on their short trek from their school to their dormroom. The teenager had been warned by one of their acquaintances that several of their cruel tormentors from the high school were going to jump them, so they stayed until the current late hour, approximately five o'clock at night, doing homework and assisting a teacher with organizing a classroom.

Frisk glanced over their shoulder, nearly hyperventilating. They were _more_ than scared by the threat of being attacked by bullies when they were in such a defenseless state, and wouldn't put it past the awful group to go as far as kill them. So far there had only been things like broken fingers, bruises, scratches, and scars… but it was a fear of theirs that the amount of damage they were inflicting on Frisk's body during the attacks was elevating.

They heaved a heavy, shaky sigh, trying desperately to fight off the panic they felt. It was too late for them to still be hunting for them, wasn't it? It's not like they were worth anything.

 _It's not like Frisk was worth the time it would take to kill._

Frisk swung their backpack over their shoulder and continued walking, still peeking into every alleyway and window just in case they were a target. Suddenly, a loud gurgling sound interrupted the paranoia inducing silence and they stiffened, freezing as if a deer in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

The teenager started to shake, and slowly turned their head towards the direction of the noise, anticipating one or more of their numerous oppressors to jump out at them. But, instead… there was a tall man leaning heavily against one of the brick walls that formed the alleyway, dressed in a long, black coat that met the ground and gave the illusion he didn't have legs. His extremely pale, white-looking face tilted downwards, a shadow covering most of the visible portions of his face, including his eyes and mouth.

Frisk, though not letting their guard down completely, relaxed a little. "Sir…? A-are you alright?"

The strange man jolted, head lifting swiftly and suddenly, revealing that this… this _thing_ was certainly no human. A skeletal face, with cold, lifeless eye sockets where it's eyes should have been. One long crack trailed from the corner of it's face to it's right eye, and another connected it's left eye to it's misshapen mouth. It wore a saddened, agonized smile, that faltered at the sight of Frisk.

Frisk's eyes went wide, and they instinctively let out a high pitched cross between a scream and a whimper, stumbling backwards.

The skeletal creature opened its mouth and let out a string of strange mumblings that varied in pitches from extremely deep to high enough to shatter glass and eardrums. It was some strange, hideous yet entrancing language Frisk had never heard before.

Frisk felt as if they were glued to the ground from a combination of crippling fear and a strong, humanlike desire to find out what this was, be it man or beast. Although the instinctual urge to flee the scene was fierce, they couldn't move out of fear it would spring onto them.

The creature took a shambling step forward, keeping most of its weight pressed against the wall.

" _ **DoN't bE aFrAiD oF mE…"**_

"I- I can't understand you!"

" _ **HeAr Me OuT, pLeAsE… i'M fAr FrOm WhErE i BeLoNg…"**_

"What are you?! Why are you hear?!" Frisk finally tempted their legs to move and took a wobbly step back, narrowly avoiding tripping over their own two feet.

" _ **I bRiNg wItH mE nO hArM,"**_ The creature leaned down to match Frisk's height, seeming to have trouble in doing so, or rather, seeming to have trouble with any movement at all. Even though the screeching language it spoke in was horridly amazing, it was obvious it's tone was gentle. Though it stood at least five feet away from Frisk, they could make out all the various details in its face, even in the painted darkness.

"P-please… leave me alone…" Frisk's voice quieted and their fingers clutched tighter around the strap of their backpack, as if it would protect them from danger.

The skeleton like being seemed to understand the teenager's plea and shrunk back, watching as they turned and walked away, limbs shaking. Though… after Frisk had reached about fifteen feet away from it, it started to limp towards them, following them like a sick puppy. A sick, gigantic, skeletal puppy in a coat that was blacker than the night itself.

Frisk knew it was following them, based on the occasional gurgle of noise coming from behind them and clutched their backpack tighter. The creature eventually managed to pick up its pace, though its face bore an expression of pain, caught up to Frisk and towered over them by at least two heads.

Frisk kept their gaze directed in front of them, as the skeleton walked beside them, watching them intently with eerie, empty eye sockets.

The teen was relieved when they finally made it to their home, and dashed up their porch steps, opening the door and throwing themselves and their backpack inside. The creature followed, daintily stepping over the misshapen doorframe, far too short for it to casually walk through. It looked around curiously.

"O-oh no, no no, you don't need to come in here!" Frisk insisted shakily, leaving the satchel on the ground and scrambling to the opposite end of the room.

That was when the creature mumbled something quieter, hands moving to make strange motions that presumably were a part of its language. " _ **KeEp An OpEn MiNd…"**_

Those signs it was making… looked strangely familiar. That was it- it was sign language! Though the vocalizations were undecipherable, perhaps these signs were. Frisk slowly reached into their pocket and withdrew their phone, keeping one eye on the screen and the other on the creature.

Seeming to brighten, it started to sign slow letters that took Frisk even longer to decode.

"G...a...s...t...e...r…? Is that your name?"

Gaster's back straightened and he motioned to himself, nodding. " _ **WhAt Is YoUr NaMe, YoUnG cHiLd?"**_

"I-I'm sorry… I don't speak your language…"

Gaster frowned, and quickly signed something Frisk couldn't read.

"I… i don't speak sign language either, I'm sorry… it will take too long to look up, too…"

The skeleton reached out and gingerly lifted the phone from Frisk's hands (whom of which said or did nothing about it) and typed something with an bony, pointed, shaking finger. He pointed the screen towards Frisk.

 _Sorry I scared you, need help, named Gaster. You?_

"Wait, can you understand me?" Frisk asked, ignoring Gaster's inquiry and asking a question of their own. As a response, Gaster made a 'small' symbol with his fingers and nodded. He motioned towards the screen again.

"M-my name? W-well… my name is Frisk…" They took a deep breath and tried to discretely step back. "Why… why are you here…? You aren't here to hurt m-me or anyone else, right?"

Gaster seemed to flinch, and turned to the phone once again, typing in, " _I wish I could say I wouldn't have to harm anyone,"_ and setting the phone down on the nearby countertop. He turned towards Frisk. " _ **FoRgIvE mE fOr ThIs, FrIsK…"**_ he said quietly in that strange language of his. " _ **I'vE mAdE iT tHiS fAr, AnD i HaVe A fAmIlY tO gEt BaCk To… I'm NoT sToPpInG nOw."**_

With that, Gaster lunged forward. He was so much more frightening now, and time seemed to pause, allowing Frisk their final few moments on this earth to analyze what was happening.

The skeleton didn't look angry, not in the slightest. He looked almost saddened by what he was doing, though the teenager didn't know of his motives. His eye sockets, though vacant of eyes, were full of expression; a pitiful, regretful expression contorting his skeletal features.

Frisk let out a scream as they were shoved roughly to the ground, gasping out as the wind was knocked out of them. " _ **I'm So sOrRy, FrIsK… yOu SeEmEd LiKe A nIcE cHiLd…"**_ he took a moment to stare at them, as if preparing to mourn and contemplating what he was doing. " _ **I'lL tRy To MaKe ThIs PaInLeSs…"**_ He gave a gentle pat to Frisk's shoulder and bowed his head, who writhed, frightened, under him.

It was Gaster's turn to gasp out in pain. When he had let his guard down to apologize to Frisk, they had shoved him off of them and slammed his skull against the bottom of the counter, a sickening cracking sound signalling something had been shattered inside of him. His body convulsed in pure agony.

Frisk trembled and got to their feet, unsure of what to do. They had just been attacked by a strange skeleton that had a remarkable resemblance to a demon that had seemed almost kindly at first… how was one _supposed_ to react to a situation like this?

Gaster clutched his head with one hands, going nearly limp on the floor, the other of his bony hands reaching out and grabbed Frisk's ankle, squeezing hard. Reflexively, Frisk squealed, frightened, and kicked the man where his ribcage was through his coat.

The man went completely limp, letting out another soft gurgle of noise before slipping into a state of unconsciousness.

Frisk shivered, covering their face with their hands. This was too much to take in… their head was spinning, cluttered with thoughts of sheer terror and contemplations about what had just went on. They slid to their knees, hands sinking to their sides, as they continued trying to look anywhere but at the cracked, mangled face of W. D. Gaster.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaster whined out, slowly returning to consciousness. Pain flowed through him, both mental anguish and physical agony. He remembered vaguely everything that had happened. Getting violently torn from the void… Getting a glimpse of Alphys and his sons, Papyrus and Sans, before disappearing and waking up in the human world. Hiding from authorities for a day or so, and then… that human. Frisk. Attacking them…

He slowly sat up, groans escaping from him. He brought one of his hands to his head, feeling around. The two normal cracks were there, however they were accompanied by various chips and smaller cracks branching off of the two ones previously ruining his face.

" _ **WhErE aM i?"**_ He wondered aloud, wincing as even the quiet noise of his voice brought upon him immense pain, comparable to a migraine- which felt a lot better than this. " _ **HeLlO? HeLlO?"**_ He whispered into the darkness surrounding him. Had he been returned to the void? Had he died?

Gaster couldn't bear to turn his head around and squint through the darkness, it hurt too badly. He had been injured already after being ripped harshly from the Underground, though it was bearable. After suffering such damage to his face, one thinking that he would be capable of even simple movement would be wrong.

The skeleton let himself slump to the ground, incapable of coherent thoughts at the moment. He could feel reality slipping away from him once more. He didn't attempt to hold on to the pain of being awake; it felt to him as if he hadn't slept for numerous weeks.

It was at least three hours until Gaster awoke. The pain had reduced slightly, though still present within him. He let the would-be pupils roam around this time, though not moving his body. He recognized his surroundings as the doorstep to Frisk's house. He presumed the human had moved him there.

As Gaster struggled to get to his feet, he knew he had to try and find the human… he had to get a human soul to get back to the underground and regain his strength. He slowly reached out and tried to turn the door handle, only to find it to be locked.

A large car went roaring by on the street, loud music blaring and tires screaming. Gaster screamed himself, nearly collapsing, slipping while still keeping a firm grasp on the door so he could catch himself. He didn't know what a car was, as monsters didn't have access to them and he had been born many generations after they were first sealed underground.

The skeleton took deep breaths while forcing himself to calm down, face contorting in disgust as he noticed one of his ribs had completely broken off, and dust from it after it fell off was scattered across the ground. He shivered.

As car after car went by, Gaster grew increasingly unnerved. This was a new world to him, with unfamiliar concepts at every turn. The language, the technology… all were as foreign as aliens to him.

Suddenly, there was a loud hiss and a bang, as fiery red and orange lit up the black, night time sky with a thunderous crack. Gaster's breath hitched where his throat should have been and he started pounding on the door. " _ **FrIsK! hElP mE!"**_ He begged, believing himself to be under siege, unknowing that they were simple fireworks being set off from the neighbor's house. " _ **I'm GoInG tO dIe!"**_ Even with his little knowledge of the human world, he knew that this was probably over dramatizing, but he wouldn't take the chance.

Gaster clutched at his chest with one hand, feeling immense pain and covering an area of his ribs through his coat as if it was bleeding. " _ **FrIsK! PlEaSe!"**_

Another 'explosion' lit up the sky, his efforts to get inside grew more desperate, yet somehow weaker. He ceased trying to unlock the door from the outside and began scratching at the door hinges.

"Stop that!" Came an angry, muffled voice from just inside. "Leave me alone!"

" _ **LeT mE iN!"**_

"I said stop it!"

" _ **PlEaSe!"**_

Another firework went off and Frisk flinched, realizing what the skeleton had been afraid of. But… he had just attempted to kill them. Was someone like that really worth MERCY? With shaking hands, they began to move to unlock the door, but something stopped them.

" _ **FiNd It In YoUr HeArT, pLeAsE!"**_

Frisk could hear the panicked screeches from outside, and they slowly took a few steps towards their small kitchen, reaching out and hesitantly clutching a knife in the palm of their small hand. It was heavy and shining- looking foreign in Frisk's gentle hand. Though they doubted that they would have the heart to actually kill the monster, they approached the door again.

The teenager unlocked the door, stepping back, the knife outstretched in case Gaster tried anything once he came in. Unknowing that he was being allowed entrance, he threw himself against the door, gasping out in surprise when he was tossed inside the house.

Instantly, he reached out to shut the door out of pure panic, having fallen onto his knees. He brought his hands to the sides of his skull, pressing hard on both sides to block out the sound of another firework.

Frisk stumbled backwards, trembling even more as Gaster entered their home. His face looked even worse than it had been when they first met him. More dents, covered in something that appeared to be dirt, chips in the bone, and strange bruises, despite the fact skeletons in the human world didn't bruise.

The skeleton lifted his head and gazed nervously at Frisk, spotting the knife, however seeming much more concerned with the fireworks.

"I'm not going to hurt you unless you try and hurt me," they tried to force their voice to be stable. "And if y-you try anything… this time I won't have as much MERCY as I did today."

Gaster froze, but after a moment he nodded his head understandingly. He shifted his gaze so he was looking at the floor and avoiding eye contact with Frisk, ashamed of himself. He had selfishly tried to take this innocent teenager's SOUL only so he'd get to go home…

"It's… it's late and I need to go to sleep, I have school tomorrow…" Frisk lowered the knife, letting their guard down. "I… I don't know if whatever you are needs to sleep, but… I'll be entirely honest w-with you, I don't trust you and I'm not going to be alone and defenseless with you here."

Gaster kept looking at the ground, not bothering to stand up, basking in his shame on the floor.

"So… I'm going to tie you to the couch a-and you can sleep there…" Frisk was quite aware of the bad condition Gaster was in, and that he wouldn't be able to break free of even a weak tether like a piece of rope.

After telling Gaster that he should try and get to the small, faded green couch about ten feet away if he wanted to stay, Frisk made a quick trip outside. There was an old tire swing hanging from a tree branch, which they untied and went back inside.

The skeleton was struggling to move even as little distance as to the couch, shuffling on his knees while clutching at his stomach.

Frisk waited until he clambered up before approaching him and reaching out, grasping his wrist through his coat sleeve, and tied the rope to it, the other end being connected to the couch leg.

"Good night…" Frisk retreated into their bedroom, only to return a moment later with a purple, heavy blanket in their hands. "Y-you can h-have this f-for tonight…" they looked away and tossed the blanket over Gaster, who was lying down on his side, staring at Frisk.

" **GoOd NiGhT, fRiSk. ThAnK yOu FoR sHoWiNg Me MeRcY…"** Gaster whispered quietly, eye sockets somehow closing.

Had Frisk been capable of other emotions at the moment other than fear, anger, and confusion, they would have noticed how… human he looked. Cuddled against a fuzzy purple blanket, mouth slightly agape, and one hand clutching the corner of the sheets, like a human would sleep. So unlike the deranged yet well mannered monster that had attacked them earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

**((Reminder: Due to some people messaging me with annoying shit about this story being romantic or platonic, unless a majority of people ask me to make this romantic, it will stay platonic.** **There's a poll on my profile right now debating whether this should be platonic or romantic…** **Also, thanks to the FABULOUS LuminousMoonRay, this story now has a cover image! They drew it themselves, and I think it's - ...beat...beat...beat…. ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY FUCKING GOD DAMN FANTASTIC))**

 **((There is a mention of a male partner who is currently unidentified in the next chapter.** **Does anyone have any requests as to who it might be so I can use a name in future chapters?** **This excludes Papyrus and Sans because they are Gaster's sons. *Kinkshames all you sinners*))**

At around six in the morning, Frisk got out of bed and went out of their room. Gaster was still sleeping on the couch, seeming pained yet also somewhat relaxed.

Frisk went about their normal daily activities. Brush their teeth, wash their face, comb their hair, assemble their books and set them in their backpack. They made eggs and sausage for breakfast, setting aside a small portion for their "guest", if skeleton's could even eat. Resting it on the floor next to him so he could reach it, they threw on a coat and slipped on their backpack.

Frisk let out a deep, sad sigh, preparing an exhausting day jam packed full of bullies, tests, homework, and mental and physical anguish around every corner.

Gaster lifted his head some long time after Frisk left. His body ached all over, but he managed to sit up and reach out to the plate of food set on the floor next to him, smiling subtly. What a polite young child… thinking to give him food, as well as let him rest.

While waiting for Frisk to return, Gaster twiddled his thumbs and admittedly tossed the blanket up in the air a few times, amused by the way it drifted slowly to the ground. He tested to see if he could pull himself or untie himself from the piece of rope, to no avail. He hurt too bad to think straight enough to untie it, and was simply too weak to pull free.

It was midday when Frisk came home. Gaster turned his head to the sound of a door opening, and saw Frisk, eyes covered by their hair and clothes rumpled and messy. Once inside their house, they slumped against the door, clutching their face in their hands. It was laughably easy to see they were sobbing.

" **FrIsK? iS sOmEtHiNg WrOnG?** " Gaster felt his parental instincts begin to take charge. He tugged against the rope, trying to get to the crying child.

Frisk looked over, their eyes red from crying. Slowly getting back to their feet, they stumbled over towards the monster… and untied the rope.

"K-kill me. I'm s-sick of living like this," they demanded, fists clenching and legs trembling.

Surprised, Gaster rubbed his sore wrist while staring up at the child. He shook his head slowly. He wouldn't kill the child. Not when they had shown so much MERCY to him.

Gaster put out his palm and pretended to press buttons on it. Frisk looked confused for a moment, before acknowledging he wanted their phone. They took it out of their pocket and tossed it to him.

' _Tell me, what is bothering you so much that you'd ask someone to take your soul?'_

The teenager looked down after reading the text on the phone, seeming ashamed for a moment. They shook their head, not willing to speak of what had happened that day.

' _Child, it's not healthy to keep these things locked inside of you. It can weigh down your soul. Would telling a foolish scientist like me really be that bad?'_

Frisk lifted their gaze to meet Gaster's, who was holding the phone up so they could read it, and he patted the sofa beside him, trying to get the teenager to sit down. Hesitantly, they took the phone from the tall man and took a seat beside him, looking stiff and uncomfortable.

"M-my friends… w-were just… a little rough w-with me today…" They rolled up one of their sweater sleeves and revealing bloody, purple abrasions and thick scratches, that seemed to continue all the way down both of their arms, and although they weren't visible after Frisk's shoulders due to the shirt, it was likely they were there, as well.

Gaster stared, not making any noise. He just slowly reached both of his arms out, and pulled Frisk to his chest, as with their small size and tiny frame, they were light enough for even him to move around, in his destructed state. The teenager's breath hitched in their throat and they flinched, expecting to be harmed, but let themselves relax and go limp after a few seconds when they realized that even if they were going to be hurt, no one would really care.

" _ **FrIsk, ArE yOu AlRiGhT?"**_ Gaster inquired quietly, knowing very well that said teenager wouldn't be able to understand them. Instead, they hiccuped and pressed their face against the shoulder of his coat, shudders starting to wrack the entirety of their body as they started crying.

" _ **HuSh, cHiLd. HuSh. YoU'Ll bE aLrIgHt,"**_ He soothed, fondly remembering trying to get one of his sons to stop crying when he got a chip in one of his bones, and getting him a Nice Cream to try and calm him down before taking him to a hospital to make sure he was going to be alright..

"Th-thank you," Frisk said shakily, still leaning against the former scientist, who grimaced, but stuck with it nonetheless. Although this man was not human, and appeared to have no skin and only bone, he was warm. After having only rough physical contact with their abusers, a simple hug from a living, breathing creature was all they asked for.

Gaster moved one of his hands to the back of Frisk's head. Part of him was tempted to grab their neck and choke them, but the goodness inside of him overpowered the evil by a landslide. He gently pat their hair, closing his eyes and sighing.

" _ **WhY dO yOu CaLl tHoSe PeOpLe FrIeNdS iF tHeY dO tHiS tO yOu?"**_ he whispered quietly, wanting Frisk to understand him but not about to trouble them for their phone once more when they were this distraught.

"I don't know what you're saying… I'm s-sorry…" Frisk sniffed, still trembling and leaning more heavily against Gaster.

Gaster's distorted features twisted into a knowing smile. " _ **ThAt'S aLrIgHt,"**_ he spoke quietly, though his strange vocalizations made even that seem too loud.

Frisk inhaled shakily and sat up again, wiping their teary eyes and swallowing hard. "Thank you. So do you, uh, need more food? I'll, um, I'll go make you something…"

Gaster smiled warmly and nodded, glad to see the human no longer actively crying, turning around so he was lying over the back of the chair, watching Frisk intently as they got up and fiddled with knobs and dials on a stove in the nearby kitchen.

Frisk shivered. They knew Gaster was watching them, and even after learning he was nicer than his first impression suggested, it was still somewhat unnerving. Either way, they continued to boil water on a stove and pour in a packet of noodles. Ah, ramen noodles. Truly, the eighth wonder of the world.

"I hope you don't mind, but… since my parents sent me to live here so I could go to a good school, I don't really have much variety in terms of food… ramen noodles and eggs, mostly," they mumbled, flinching at mentioning their parents.

Gaster felt another sudden pang of guilt. Frisk didn't really have much, did they? And he was just… taking what they needed more than him… he'd apologize and somehow, repay them, someday…


	4. Chapter 4

**((I've regained so much fucking faith in this fandom xD I really did want to keep this platonic, and yEY y'all wanted that too 3 I apologize in advance for this chapter seeming a bit romantic? A friend helped me out by writing a bit of it and I think they wanted it to be romantic...))**

 **((There is a mention of a male partner who is currently unidentified.** **Does anyone have any requests as to who it might be so I can use a name in future chapters?** **This excludes Papyrus and Sans because they are Gaster's sons. *Kinkshames all you sinners*))**

 **((I'm also sorry for any lack of updates this story may or may not have, as well as how rushed it may be. If I take longer than two weeks to update, feel free to PM me reminding me to do it… there's an extremely plot-heavy story that I hope you'll like coming out soon that I plan to write at least half of before submitting the first chapter 3 ))**

After several minutes of silence, Frisk took the pot off of the stove and poured powdery contents of a packet into the bowl, putting a fork in it and handing it to Gaster. "It's… it's kind of hot, and it's only ramen, so, uh, enjoy, I guess…" They took a seat beside the monster again, staring at the floor. "Are you feeling better?"

Gaster set the noodles on the floor, finding them too hot to hold. He turned to face Frisk. Remembering how badly his injuries hurt, no longer distracted by his companion's emotions. He seemed to wince, and lifted a hand and slowly rotated it side to side.

"Oh… um, if you… i-if you aren't going to eat right now, would you mind if I saw where it hurts? I…" They looked away, acting ashamed, and their voice grew extremely quiet. "I w-want to make sure you're… that you're alright…"

Gaster looked taken aback, having heard Frisk's whispers. He forced a smile and mimicked pressing buttons in his palm. Quickly recognizing what he wanted, the human handed him their phone.

' _I wouldn't mind, though I am doubtful that you are aware of how to heal my species."_

"I can still t-try, can't I?"

" _I never said you couldn't try."_

"Okay, w-well, where d-do you hurt? Just m-make a list…"

" _Ribs. Face, also headache. Neck. Chest, hips, legs, right arm."_

Frisk frowned at the long list. "W-was all of that from me…?" They clenched their shoulders and wrapped their arms around themself, looking shocked.

" _No, no! Many things have hurt me before… when I arrived into this world, I got hurt a lot. Not your fault, alright?"_ Gaster's gaze softened.

"Alright," Frisk sighed, a wave of relief rushing over them. "Just say something in your language thing if what I'm doing hurts, okay,? Just stay still."

Frisk gently got to their knees, facing the former scientist and reaching upwards, gently running a finger over a crack going from his eye to the side of his head. Gaster moved as if he was going to move them away from him, but didn't, and let them continue.

"This looks like it hurts really bad…" Frisk withdrew their hand slowly. "Can you lie down and take your shirt and coat off, please?" They weren't exactly comfortable with the idea of someone taking their clothes off in front of them, but Gaster was a skeleton. Who cares?

Gaster flinched, his face flushing a bright shade of green as he slipped off his jacket and shirt, groaning as he lay down, whole body aching. Frisk's eyes widened. Two of his ribs were broken off before they even got halfway across to where they were supposed to be, leaving jagged, raw edges. Others had cracks going down the middle, or had large chips taken off of them.

"...this… this must hurt really badly…" Frisk murmured pitifully, and their hand accidently brushed one of the skeleton's broken ribs and Gaster's reaction was instantaneous.

" _ **StOp!"**_ He demanded loudly, having screamed out in agony and now panted heavily. It felt like the very very fiber of his being was being clawed at with even a gentle though to a damaged rib- skeleton's bones were very sensitive, and even a small scrape could cause serious pain.

"Oh-oh, I'm s-sorry! I'm s-sorry!" Frisk immediately withdrew their hand. "Are you o-okay? W-what did I d-do…?"

Gaster, who was clutching the phone in his hand, typed something and showed the phone to Frisk. " _Don't touch."_

"I just w-wanted to see if I c-could help you… I'm sorry…"

" _You can help. You just don't know how yet… do you have human medicines here?"_

Frisk nodded. "Yeah… should I see if any of them work on you…?" They asked quietly.

" _Yes… they may contain elements that are used in healing my kind."_

Frisk nodded in acknowledgement and left, returning a moment later with different tubes and bottles of differing sizes in their arms. They rested them on the floor next to Gaster.

"I'll be gentle, I promise. Just tell me if you really want me to stop." Frisk gently pat Gaster's head and gave a rare, patient smile. "I'll take care of you."

The scientist felt himself relax at the sight of a kind smile and gentle reassurance. He nodded, shutting his eyes and leaning his head back.

"Uh, I suppose I'll start with antibiotic on some of the abrasions, I guess…" Frisk opened a small, white tube and squirted some of its contents onto their finger, hesitating for a second or two before pressing it onto one of the chips in one of Gaster's rib.

Gaster winced, though it wasn't because of pain- just anticipation. He was never fond of being touched unless he shared a strong emotional bond with someone, or it was absolutely necessary. He hoped that this was absolutely necessary.

"Oh! How'd… h-how did that h-happen to your arm?" Frisk gently applied the rest of the medicine and pointed to Gaster's right arm. It was bent almost entirely the wrong way. "W-wait, don't answer that… just stay still…"

Frisk gently took the scientist's arm. They were no doctor, but it looked either broken or dislocated… even if it was just dislocated, they were in no position to hurt him to pop it back into place. "I don't really have a splint, but I have bandages, I guess…"

The human reached towards the messy pile of medicines and pulled out a roll of ace bandages. "This is going to be a little bit tight, but… I think it will help it heal… that's what human doctors do to broken bones." Gaster nodded his approval and lifted his arm, letting Frisk gently wrap it up in a tight cast. "There!" Um, I… I think that's all I'll really be able to do for now… I… I'll do some research on how to heal bones, and then I'll be able to do something other than waste your time with human medicine."

Gaster smiled. " _Thank you. I shall be taking leave of here when I am healed enough to avoid human authorities and survive on my own."_

Frisk's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, on your own? Don't you have a family?"

" _Of course I have a family. It's just that… they're quite hard to reach from here. The reasons are so hard to explain I fear that I'll mislead you…"_

"That's alright… I just want to hear more about your family, if you wouldn't mind? Did you have a wife? What about kids?"

Gaster's face flushed a bright shade of green, glad he could avert Frisk's gaze by typing on the phone. " _I did have a wife… we had two beautiful sons… Papyrus and Sans."_ He chuckled nervously and looked to the side, as if shameful. " _My wife and I got divorced, and she wanted nothing to do with me or my sons, so I got custody of them. Before we were… separated, I… I, excuse me, took a male partner… but, then… one thing led to another, and… I was apart from them for many years, so long I think they've forgotten me, and somehow I wound up here. I have my suspicions as to why, though…"_

"What are your suspicions?"

" _Long story short, a friend tried to return me to my family from where I was lost in, but I was transported here, instead."_

"Hm…" Frisk knew they weren't getting the entirety of the story, but decided not to push it too much more. "Well… some time, do you think you can tell me about what you think? Maybe I can help you find your family! Maybe I can get you all reunited!"

" _I'm sorry to say it's not that simple... Uh, if you'd like, I can type up a little summary of what happened in a while. Would you like that?"_

Frisk nodded. "I'd like to know more. I don't want to sound rude, but I'm not accustomed to seeing… your kind, and it's human nature to be curious."

" _I should know. I was my civilization's royal scientist, I conducted studies on human emotion and behavioral tendencies in my early years, but the project was cut off short when it was decided that there were more pressing matters to attend to."_

"If you'd like, I guess that, uh, at some point I can tell you some things about humans… I think it'd help you out while you're living among us. If you'd like to know, I mean..."

" _I suppose that it would be helpful, and the study was quite intriguing… yes, Frisk. That would be nice."_

"I'd talk to you now, so you wouldn't get quite bored, but I have a lot of homework from school…"

" _Homework?"_

"Homework is like, worksheets that you take home from school to do in your own time and bring it back in, to prove you know the material."

" _We don't have homework where I am from, but we do certainly have schools. What subjects are you struggling in?"_

"Math, uh, and science… those two."

Gaster seemed to brighten. " _I'm a scientist, so perhaps I can help? I educated a fair few youths that were looking to enter my fields of research when they grew older, so I'm led to believe that I will be able to help you, as well."_

"That'd be wonderful! My science homework is the longest, so should we start with that one? We need to describe time dilation and how it happens…"

The skeleton twitched. "U-uhuh, yes, alright. Time. Lovely construct. Creative. Let's just get started, hm?"

Frisk, although confused by Gaster's sudden reaction to hearing about time, decided to ignore it. They dragged over their backpack and set it next to him.

 **Even though he isn't on , this is a shoutout to one of my best friends, Jake, that wrote nearly the entirety of this chapter for me when I was too busy with some schoolwork and being sick to finish it 3**


	5. (AN) Sorry, Guys

_**/Hey guys. It's me. Just a little bit of an update. I won't be updating any of these stories again. Again soon, I mean. There's been some stuff going on that isn't giving me any time to write, or is causing me an inability to do so. Occasionally, I will pop out another chapter for some random story, but it will be out of the blue and spontaneous. I'm moving to a different profile where I'll hopefully be able to have a fresher start. I'm not deleting this profile, however, too many stories on it (wow, a whopping number of three?) and as I said, there'll be an occasional update.**_

 _ **I hope you aren't too distraught, which you probably shouldn't be, because I'm just a useless piece of shit you may or may not have read the stories of.**_

 _ **I'll post the name of my new profile after it's up and running. And as for new and good things to look forward to, well:**_

 ** _I've gotten into Welcome to Night Vale!_**

 ** _I've gotten into Black Butler!_**

 ** _I've returned to the Hetalia fandom!_**

 ** _I have some ideas for Undertale stuff!_**

 ** _I love y'all, it's been really fun. See you around?/_**


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